What You Need to Know About Using StrengthsFinder For Employee Engagement

More and more, managers are being encouraged to use positive reinforcement in their employee reviews, rather than focusing on weaknesses. The argument is that by doing this, employees are more productive and engaged in their work. Opponents of such a management technique say that discussing negatives, or ranking employees against each other, can actually encourageRead… Read more »

Improving Police-Community Relations Before It’s Too Late

Civil unrest in places like Ferguson, Missouri and Baltimore has local government leaders across the country concerned about police-community relations in their own cities and towns. While it’s true that larger cities with greater diversity – whether economic, ethnic, racial or religious – are more at risk, government leaders in cities of all sizes canRead… Read more »

A Good Quote is More Interesting Than This Headline

Let’s start by admitting that, sometimes, all a reporter needs is a quote to finish a story. Any quote, as long it’s relevant and they meet their deadline. What they’d really like, however, are birds flying backwards. That’s the gist of a legendary quote used in one of my journalism classes, from a guy tellingRead… Read more »

The Future of Cloud Computing? The Convergence of Big Data, Mobility and Cloud

This blog post is an excerpt from GovLoop’s recent guide, Forecasting the Cloud: Eight Ways the Technology is Changing Government. To download the full guide, head here. Cloud computing is not a new idea in the world of government IT. But Cisco believes there is a new future opportunity of cloud computing – and forRead… Read more »

How Going Paperless Transforms the Agenda, Meeting and Approval Process for Clerks

What do you know about the clerk working in your city our county government? We’re guessing probably not a lot. However, a clerk in your local government is constantly doing a lot of work — mostly behind the scenes that you may never know about. And the fact is, the job of a clerk is criticalRead… Read more »

Federal Agencies Must Focus On Emotion To Create Great Government Customer Experiences

Think about the last time you went through airport security. Or applied for federal benefits. Or paid your taxes. How did those experiences make you feel? What specific emotions did they invoke in you? Did you feel comforted, hopeful, and valued – or insulted, frustrated, and nervous? Questions like these are the most important thingsRead… Read more »